W. Somerset Maugham Lot of 17 Classic Unabridged Audiobooks in 18 MP3 Audio CDs
W. Somerset Maugham
(1874 - 1965)
William Somerset Maugham (25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was a British playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest paid author during the 1930s. After losing both his parents by the age of 10, Maugham was raised by a paternal uncle who was emotionally cold. Not wanting to become a lawyer like other men in his family, Maugham eventually trained and qualified as a doctor. The first run of his first novel, Liza of Lambeth (1897), sold out so rapidly that Maugham gave up medicine to write full time. During World War I, he served with the Red Cross and in the ambulance corps, before being recruited in 1916 into the British Secret Intelligence Service, for which he worked in Switzerland and Russia before the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. During and after the war, he traveled in India and Southeast Asia; all of these experiences were reflected in later short stories and novels.
Lady Frederick, a Comedy in Three Acts
Dramatic Reading
Running Time:02:16:27 in 1 MP3 Audio CD
Lady Frederick is a comedy by the British writer W. Somerset Maugham, written early in his career. The play was first seen in London in 1907, and was very successful, running for 422 performances. The title role was played by Ethel Irving. In New York it was first performed in 1908, with Lady Frederick played by Ethel Barrymore, who reprised her role in the play's film adaptation, The Divorcee. In the play, Lady Frederick is an Irish widow, seriously in debt; she must deal with suitors who have various motives for proposing marriage, and with the man with whom she once had an affair.
Cast list:
Lady Frederick Berolles: Ailis
Sir Gerald O'Mara: Anthony Joseph
Mr. Paradine Fouldes: John Payton
Marchioness of Mereston: Anna Maria
Marquess of Mereston: Tomas Peter
Captain Montgomerie: GlennProud3
Admiral Carlisle: ToddHW
Rose: Christina Fu
Lady Frederick's Dressmaker, Madame Claude: WendyKatzHiller
Lady Frederick's Footman: James R. Hedrick
Lady Frederick's Maid: Rapunzelina
Thompson: Scott Caulkins
Servant: David Purdy
Stage Directions: Lynette Caulkins
Liza of Lambeth
Read by Hatton43
Running Time:03:19:22 in 1 MP3 Audio CD
Liza of Lambeth focuses on the challenges of life facing Liza, an 18 year old factory girl who lives in the poverty of the slums of 1890s London. The main plot is driven by Liza's affections and the consequences these have for her. Based on W Somerset Maugham's experiences as a visiting trainee Doctor at the time, the book is an insight into working class life at the time and was his debut, the success of which led to him pursuing his vocation not as a Doctor, but instead a novelist.
Mrs. Craddock
Read by Tony Oliva
Running Time:11:08:57 in 1 MP3 Audio CD
“I thought it was you I saw coming up the hill,” she said, stretching out her hand.
He stopped and shook it; the touch of his big, firm fingers made her tremble. His hand was massive and hard as if it were hewn of stone. She looked up at him and smiled.
“Isn’t it cold?” she said. It is terrible to be desirous of saying all sorts of passionate things, while convention debars you from any but the most commonplace. (Excerpts from chapter 1.)
Of Human Bondage
Read by Tom Weiss
Running Time:25:45:33 in 2 MP3 Audio CDs
Of Human Bondage, published in 1915, is considered to be W. Somerset Maugham’s best work. Many believe the novel to be one of the world’s literary masterpieces. The story follows Phillip Carey from early childhood through his 30’s. Orphaned at 9, Phillip spends his early years raised by his childless aunt and uncle. His aunt tries to be a mother to Philip, but she is unsure how to behave whereas his uncle, a vicar, takes a cold disposition towards him. Philip is sent to a boarding school but his shyness and his club foot make it difficult for him to fit in. The novel follows this theme throughout as Phillip travels to Germany, France, and England, makes new acquaintances, searches for his life’s calling, and experiences romantic episodes. Mildred in particular, will leave you wondering about Phillip's obsession and passion for such a woman. More than a few of us have had “our Mildred”. The characters in Of Human Bondage are real-life with faults, qualities, and feelings that Maugham describes so vividly. It would not be unusual that we have encountered individuals with traits similar to the characters in this book. At times the emotions in this novel, so simply but purely written, will leave you either sad or happy and even perhaps, teary-eyed as the enthusiasm of youth is met with reality as Phillip tries to discover the meaning of HIS life through the dreams of others.
On a Chinese Screen
Read by Multiple Readers
Running Time:5:08:27 in 1 MP3 Audio CD
This is a non-fiction collection of Maugham's observations of life in Asia in the early 20th Century.
Contents:
The Rising of the Curtain
My Lady's Parlor
The Mongol Chief
The Rolling Stone
The Cabinet Minister
Dinner Parties
The Altar of Heaven
The Servants of God
The Inn
The Glory Hole
Fear
The Picture
Her Britannic Majesty's Representative
The Opium Den
The Last Chance
The Nun
Henderson
Dawn
The Point of Honor
The Beast of Burden
Dr. MacAlister
The Road
God's Truth, Romance, and The Grand Style
Rain
Sullivan
The Dining-Room
Arabesque
The Consul
The Stripling
The Fannings
The Song of the River
Mirage
The Stranger
Democracy
The Seventh Day Adventist
The Philosopher
The Missionary Lady
A Game of Billiards
The Skipper
The Sights of the Town
Nightfall
The Normal Man
The Old Timer
The Plain
Failure
A Student of the Drama
The Taipan
Metempsychosis
The Fragment
One of the Best
The Sea-Dog
The Question
The Sinologue
The Vice-Consul
A Crrr Built on a Rock
Libation to the Gods
Orientations
Read by Lilith Branda
Running Time:05:11:17 in 1 MP3 Audio CD
This is a collection showing W. Somerset Maugham's early attempt in the short story genre, which he comes to master as one of 20th century's best teller of tales.
Contents:
01 - The Punctiliousness of Don Sebastian
02 - A Bad Example Part 1
03 - A Bad Example Part 2
04 - De Amicitia
05 - Faith
06 - The Choice of Amyntas Part 1
07 - The Choice of Amyntas Part 2
08 - Daisy Part 1
09 - Daisy Part 2
Rain
Read by Bellona Times
Running Time:1:44:19 in 1 MP3 Audio CD
One of Maugham's most famous short stories, Rain unfolds in a soggy tropical paradise marred by self-righteous hypocrites trying to force their moral beliefs on a girl who basically just wants to have fun. At a running time of approximately 2 1/2 hours, it is too long for inclusion in a Short Story collection.
The Bishop's Apron
Read by Lee Smalley
Running Time:06:35:01 in 1 MP3 Audio CD
"Canon Spratte saw himself as he thought others might see him: mediocre, pompous, self-assertive, verbose." Maugham could have added ambitious, hypocritical, and vain. In this engrossing social satire, Theodore Spratte, a cleric, motivated by an obsessive desire to be elevated to bishop, embellishes his family history and intrudes upon his son's and daughter's courtships. A reviewer in 1906 wrote, "The whole book is an admirable blend of cynical gaiety and broadly farcical comedy; it is the smartest and most genuinely humorous novel that the season has yet given us."
The Explorer
Read by Lilith Branda
Running Time:08:17:31 in 1 MP3 Audio CD
An early novel by W. Somerset Maugham about conflicting feelings of self-integrity, filial love, romantic love. Lucy Allerton and Alec MacKenzie have to choose between grasping happiness that is their due and upholding a set of moral values that define themselves.
The Hero
Read by Lilith Branda
Running Time:08:18:21 in 1 MP3 Audio CD
James Parsons comes home to Little Primpton after serving in the Boer War. The whole town is proud of their new hero, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for risking his life to save a fellow soldier. However, for Jamie, nothing is the same anymore. His varied experience after leaving home has changed his worldview completely and he finds it impossible to go back to his former way of life and beliefs. Torn between individual freedom and obligations towards his family, Maugham portrays Jamie's struggles and social intolerance.
The Letter, A Play in Three Acts
Dramatic Reading
Running Time:02:59:18 in 1 MP3 Audio CD
The wife of a plantation manager in "British Malaysia" shoots a man of their acquaintance while her husband is away from home. She claims that the man she shot had attempted to rape her. Her lawyer supposes that her defense will be rather straightforward until his law clerk informs him that a blackmailer possesses evidence that will incriminate her. The defendant and her lawyer must determine whether it is best to 'explain away' the potentially damning implications of the titular letter or pay the sum demanded for its suppression.
The Letter premiered (24 February 1927) at London's Playhouse Theatre where it ran 60 weeks starring Dame Gladys Cooper who was also the play's producer. While in rehearsal Maugham rewrote Act 3 using an innovative flashback to portray events preceding the shooting with which Act 1 opens. Katharine Cornell starred in the Broadway production which opened (26 September 1927) at the Morosco Theatre and ran for 104 performances. This production reverted to the original script, scrapping the flashback in favor of the starring actor's recantation of its events. This audio book production includes both versions of Act 3.
Cast List:
Leslie Crosbie: Jenn Broda
Robert Crosbie: Mark Leder
Howard Joyce: Beeswaxcandle
Ong Chi Seng: redrun
John Withers: ToddHW
Head Boy: Brian Fullen
Chung Hi: Brian Fullen
Dorothy Joyce: Annie Hendren
Mrs. Parker: Annie Hendren
A Sikh Sergeant of Police: Brian Fullen
Geoffrey Hammond: Bruce Kachuk
Stage Directions: Brian Fullen
Editing: Brian Fullen
The Magician
Read by Delmar H Dolbier
Running Time:7:57:10 in 1 MP3 Audio CD
The Magician is a novel by British author W. Somerset Maugham, originally published in 1908. In this tale, the magician Oliver Haddo, a caricature of Aleister Crowley, attempts to create life. Crowley wrote a critique of this book under the pen name Oliver Haddo, where he accused Maugham of plagiarism. Maugham wrote The Magician in London, after he had spent some time living in Paris, where he met Aleister Crowley. The novel was later republished with a foreword by Maugham entitled A Fragment of Autobiography.
The Merry-Go-Round
Read by Lilith Branda; TR Love; Liz Petersen; Judith Parker
Running Time:12:47:47 in 1 MP3 Audio CD
Basil Kent marries Jenny Bush, because he believes that is the honourable thing to do after getting her pregnant, but he realizes that he is really in love with Hilda Murray. Grace Castillyon, an established married woman of position, has fallen hopelessly in love with young Reggie Bassett, who is only playing with her. Bella Langton ignores the short remaining days of Herbert Field who is suffering from consumption, and determines to marry him so that he can afford to spend the winters abroad. The Merry-Go-Round weaves together these relationships, adorned by the peripheral figures of Miss Ley and Frank Hurrell, observers of what is going on, who also have their own stories to tell.
The Moon and Sixpence
Read by Termin Dyan
Running Time:7:51:01 in 1 MP3 Audio CD
This Maugham novel is based on the life of the painter Paul Gauguin. The story is told by the narrator as he gradually comes to know the main character Charles Strickland, a middle aged stock broker. We follow Strickland from the point where he abruptly abandons his wife and children to become an artist, through his life in Paris and Marseille to Tahiti where he eventually dies of leprosy
The Painted Veil
Read by Robert Rawlins
Running Time:08:18:37 in 1 MP3 Audio CD
This Maugham classic is set in England and Hong Kong and in a cholera --ridden Chinese village in the 1920's. A committed, principled, epidemiologist, Dr. Fane, falls in love with the beautiful, but vain and foolish, Kitty Garstin. She agrees to marry him only because she wishes to beat her sister to the altar. She soon commits adultery with a British official in Hong Kong, where they have relocated. Dr. Fane decides that she must accompany him to a small village, deep within China, where cholera is rampant; otherwise, he will reveal the betrayal, with grave consequences for all. It appears to be a suicide mission. The story is one of love, of a search for meaning of life, of forgiveness, and of personal growth and change. The inner thoughts of the several characters--especially Kitty--are thoroughly painted by Maugham. The title presumably refers to the veil of illusion that often hides the truth we feel about ourselves. We will not spoil for the reader the surprises that make this a compelling novel.
The Trembling of a Leaf
Read by Lilith Branda
Running Time:07:43:54 in 1 MP3 Audio CD
A collection of short stories on the South Sea Islands, among which are the famous "Red," "Rain," and "The Fall of Edward Barnard," the last of which contains the basic story of what came to be one of the most well-known among W. Somerset Maugham's novels, The Razor's Edge.
W. Somerset Maugham Short Story Collection
Read by Multiple Readers
Running Time:05:31:05 in 1 MP3 Audio CD